There is no shortcut to making consistent progress in Jiu-Jitsu.
You have to stay consistent on the mats, put in the work, address your weak points, and approach rolling strategically – not just going through whatever comes to your mind first.
Additionally, for Dean Lister the change maker has always been about asking questions.
Here is what he had to say about the topic in an interview with BJJEE:
I was never too shy to ask questions about things… I’m sure this was frustrating to others at times when I was young…
So, I would have thought and asked: „Why is this way better? Who thought it is? Is there a better way to do it for me?”
Perspective is an important thing to keep in mind, says Lister:
Perspective is very important.
For example, before Jiu Jitsu I was competing in sambo and before that in wrestling.While Jiu Jitsu is my home, I definitely know that sambo and wrestling have both helped me achieve my goals – in a similar fashion that learning more than one language can help much in life.
It gives you a different perspective on things.
Plus, it is the positional sparring that will unlock even further progress!
One of the best tips that I have for leglocks or other submissions is to do much more positional sparring.
This is so that you can take a chance, and if you make a mistake then you can simply restart. This will help with your confidence.For example, let’s say that I am starting on top with open guard – if I pass, then good, I will restart.
If I get a leglock, good, I shall restart. If I fall over and lose the leglock, ok – restart, if I am swept, well, okay, let’s restart…This is how much training repetition should be done in order to develop skills.
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